


Once Upon A Time

by Mischiefkingwinkyface



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Fever, Illnesses, Julian has plague, M/M, Post- Apprentice's death, Pre-Canon, Red Plague (The Arcana), Terminal Illnesses, goodbye letter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26973256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mischiefkingwinkyface/pseuds/Mischiefkingwinkyface
Summary: Julian write a letter to the Apprentice when he's locked up with the Red Plague and tells them a story.
Relationships: Asra/Julian Devorak
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Once Upon A Time

It hurts, but the pain doesn’t scare me anymore. 

Forgive me, that’s not how a story is supposed to start. Do I get to start again? Please? Okay, last chance. 

Once upon a time, a longer time ago than I’d care to admit, there was a spritely young lad called Ilyushka Devorak. This story isn’t about him. He had such a sweet little sister called Portia. This story isn’t about her either. 

Ilya was a hopeful boy. A happy boy. He was a promising young doctor that everyone loved, and he loved them in return. Everything was destined to go his way from the day he was born, and he knew it. Then Ilya stayed to help cure a plague like a hero. With all his heart, he wanted to help all those sick people recover. 

That’s why I’m not Ilya anymore. My name is Julian, or Jules (as Lucio refuses to stop calling me), or even Dr 069. 

I wanted to tell you a story, but that one is too bad to tell. The illness must be in my brain by now. I can barely think straight, and it wants me to make you sad. I don’t want to make you sad again. 

Is this how you felt at the end? I’m so cold I can feel it coming. 

I don’t know why I’m writing this. What it is I expected? For you to forgive me? Even if you were still alive, which you’re not, I’m unforgivable. You deserved better than me. You deserved so much more than what I gave you. So, for the last thing I may ever do, let me tell you a story. 

This one isn’t a sad one. I promise you I’ve had enough sadness. 

Once upon a time there was a strapping young doctor that loved a magician very much. The magician was so charming that the doctor fell in love with him straight away. 

They would work together in the library every day. The Doctor, the Magician, and the magician’s snake would all work hard together to find a cure for a horrible plague that took away many good people. Too many good people. They worked so hard for one very very good person they lost to the horrible plague, and, for a while, they were almost happy working together. 

The Magician loved the Doctor more than the Doctor ever believed anyone could love him. They drank tea and read books together. Sometimes they would sleep in the same bed and spend nights in each other’s arms. The Magician would tell the Doctor every night how much he loved him and kiss better all the bad parts of the day. 

The Doctor loved the Magician even more than the Magician loved the Doctor. He would get all flustered whenever he was around the Magician even though the Doctor almost never gets flustered around anyone. The Doctor used to dream of the Magician every night when he went to sleep and would think about the Magician every morning when he woke up. There was no one in the world that could love anyone as much as the Doctor loved the Magician.

Then the Doctor got sick with the plague that keeps taking away all the good people. Somewhere, the Magician will be working hard to save the Doctor because the Doctor doesn’t think he can save anyone now. 

I promised you this isn’t a sad story, and I was telling the truth. The Doctor may be very sick, and the Magician may not be able to save him, but that’s okay. 

The Doctor knows that when he falls asleep he will dream of his Magician, and it won’t hurt anymore. He’s not scared anymore. 

And so, he had lived his happily ever after. 

Goodbye my sweet Apprentice,  
Dr~

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I hope I managed to get down as much as I could what Ilya's brain would be doing as he's dying from the Plague. Poor guy, I need to give him a break.  
> Anyway, I'm happy to consider requests and please do comment!  
> Stay Safe out there.


End file.
